The present proposal deals with the synthesis of new anticonvulsant drugs. The synthetic procedures to be used involve carbanionic intermediates derived from compounds having a molecular framework common to several known classes of anticonvulsant agents. Special emphasis will be placed on the preparation of novel compounds which cannot be synthesized by means of currently available techniques for construction of the new parent molecule. Included as synthetic goals are new compounds of the following types: (1) 2-(2-oxo-2-(4-pyridyl)ethyl)-3-aryl-4(3H)-quinazolinones, (2) 1,6-dihydro-2-(2-oxo-2-(4-pyridyl)ethyl)-1-aryl-6-oxopyrimidines, (3) alpha,alpha-disubstituted and fused ring derivatives of glutarimide and succinimide, alpha alpha-disubstituted 3,5-morpholinediones, 6-chloro-2H-1,4-benzoxazine-3(4H)-ones, and benzothiazione-1,1-dioxides, (4) 3-substituted-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2(1H)-ones, and (5) alpha-alkyl-N'-acylp-trimethylsilylphenylacetyl ureas.